Computer is an Asus ROG G53jw running Win7 Home Premium.

Over the past month or so, I've been getting "clock interrupt" BSODs on my G53jw. I took the machine apart and discovered that the CPU fan is not spinning consistently, and temp monitoring software is reporting very high CPU temps (150+). The CPU fan has been tested by simply plugging it into the GPU's power hookup on the mobo, where it constantly spins just like the GPU fan does, so I don't believe it's a faulty fan. Both fans and their associated sinks have been thoroughly cleaned.

I notice that the CPU fan *will* eventually spin-up, but that it does not turn on until the temp is almost 150 - only then will the fan begin spinning, and stabilize the CPU temp and just around that point. The GPU fan, by contrast, spins constantly. I'm concerned about the fact that the CPU fan seems to be kicking in only at extremely high temps.

QUESTIONS:

1. 150+ CPU temp under normal load (just running Win7, no apps and no games) seems very high to me - is it? if so, what temp should I be shooting for do you think?

2. There does not seem to be anything in the BIOS that allows me to change the temp threshold where the fan kicks in - am I just missing it?

3. Assuming BIOS is not the way to set the fan turn-on point, should I look to use Asus Fan Xpert+ or possibly a third party app like SpeedFan to set a new temp point? Not sure what's best for this particular mobo.

4. Is it possible that the CPU fan controller on the mobo is faulty?

Any assistance is greatly appreciated!

--M